by D. G. Lum
Nine months later, when your sister joined my front office team, the same strange events began in one of the villas. At Villa 1, the lights would turn on and off by themselves every night, even though it was vacant.
Each time the lights turned off, I would investigate the villa with a security guard. At the villa, I would turn on the lights again. But moments later, the lights would turn off by themselves. Once again, an electrician checked the building and found nothing wrong with the wiring and switches. I gradually learned to live with this oddity, as there were no major complaints from the cleaners or hotel guests.
However, one late night, a male security guard and I took a golf cart to investigate another lighting incident. He was driving the cart and I was sitting right beside him. I was chatting with the guard when I saw something up in a tree in the distance. It was white and appeared to be still.
As the cart drove nearer, I was terrified to see a lady dressed in white sitting on one of the branches. She was staring at me!
I looked away immediately, adhering to a piece of advice given to me by the medium. “Never look into their [spirits’] eyes. Ignore them if you can,” he had told me the last time we met. And so I did.
At the villa, the security guard stopped the cart, turned, and saw my pale, horrified face. He asked me what went wrong and I told him that I had seen a white ghost on the tree. He said he had not noticed anything unusual on the way there.
As I turned my head back to the direction we had come from, I could see a number of white figures from a distance. I looked away immediately and asked the guard if he could see them. He said there was nothing.
On our return, we drove as fast as we could. We tried to focus on the road. I held on to him tightly.
One week later, I handed in my resignation. I thought it was too much to bear. I did not sign up for this.
Some people can see things that others cannot. Some are happy with this ability; others are not. It seems that some ghosts only want to be seen by these gifted humans. The gifted are the link between the dead and the living. They are the one who will pass on the stories and legacies of the dead.
So, are you a gifted person?
Chapter 3: Don’t ‘Pray Pray’
Do you know that Singaporeans are among the most avid buyers of lottery games in the world? Toto and 4D are the most popular forms of lotteries in Singapore. Some say Singaporeans are buying a dream when they purchase a Toto ticket: they’re buying a fantasy and hope that they will become rich one day.
A Toto ticket may be cheap, but its potential reward is enormous. It is easy to play; you pick six numbers and hope they match the winning numbers, which are periodically drawn. If you do not know which six numbers to pick, you can just do a QuickPick. It is as easy as that. However, the odds of winning six numbers are roughly one out of eight million.
While the odds are against every Toto player, some Singaporeans believe there are other means to beat the system. Some use supernatural forces to help them win. Some use their supreme luck, while others rely on their god(s) to help them overcome the odds.
I heard about one woman used her relationship with her god for her own financial benefits. Her name is Mrs Yin and she is now a devoted Buddhist. She is married with young children, and her husband is employed by a German company as a maintenance worker. The family lives in a flat at Pasir Ris, an eastern suburb of Singapore.
I do not know Mrs Yin personally. But her close friend told me that Mrs Yin had a strange and horrifying encounter with the divine forces. This is Mrs Yin’s story.
Two years ago, Mrs Yin was a full-time mother of three kids. She had been married for eleven years. Mrs Yin and her husband had bought their first HDB flat a few years earlier. Before that, they were sharing a place with her elder sister-in-law.
Saving enough for their first flat was not easy. After all, her husband was only a maintenance worker, and she had not worked full time since their first child was born in 2001. She had done some casual work in the past, such as distributing flyers for an advertising company in Raffles Place and helping out in a chicken and rice stall at the Bedok Interchange, but that amount of money did not compare to a full-time salary.
While her three lovely kids kept her busy every day, Mrs Yin often found time to wait in line and buy her favorite Toto tickets. Her close friends all called her the Toto Ratu (ratu means ‘queen’ in Malay). Mrs Yin believed Toto was the means to an end, and her devotion to Toto could sometimes be extreme. Despite her financial situation, Mrs Yin could sometimes spend several hundred dollars buying Toto in one month.
In spite of her devotion, Mrs Yin had never won Toto, even though she had started playing the game on a regular basis about five years earlier. She thought she got her bad luck from her husband, who never seemed to make it in his career. In contrast, all her friends’ husbands had decent jobs that they could be proud of. One even became a general manager, overseeing a factory in Tuas. Mrs Yin’s husband had once interviewed to join his company’s sales department, but performed badly at the interview. They wanted someone who was more outspoken and business-savvy. He was not up to it.
One day, Mrs Yin was talking to a group of friends in a wet market. One told her about a powerful four-faced Buddha statue in an old Buddhist temple at Balestier. “You should go there and pray,” her friend said excitedly. “He always answers to prayers of devoted Buddhist disciples. It’s true!” She chattered on, “My friend once prayed for her son to be admitted into Hwa Chong Junior College. Even though the school’s principal said it was nearly impossible because of his poor grades, her son made it, for unknown reasons.” Her friend continued, “I have another friend who got the second prize in Singapore Sweep just two weeks ago. Before that, he had prayed in the temple for ten consecutive weekends and made many offerings.”
Mrs Yin’s eyebrows rose as she heard the second story. She was really keen but wondered, “I’m not a devoted Buddhist. How can I make it work?” So, Mrs Yin asked her friend for the address of the temple and decided to pay it a visit the following weekend. She decided to bring her kids with her. It would be a nice outing for all of them too.
That weekend, Mrs Yin found the small and quiet Buddhist temple. Inside, there was no one to be seen. In the main hall stood an immense (three meters tall) statue of Guan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy). Mrs Yin looked around but did not see any four-faced Buddha statue in the hall.
“Is this the right place?” asked her eldest daughter, Min, who knew her mum wanted to pray for wealth.
Just then, an old lady walked in from a back door. She saw Mrs Yin and her kids searching the hall, and asked them what were they looking for. Mrs Yin said her friends had mentioned a four-faced Buddha statue in this temple.
The old lady nodded and led Mrs Yin and her kids to the backyard. At the back of the temple, right beside the management office, stood a small (roughly half a meter), golden, four-faced Buddha. There were some fruits and nuts on the table, along with two golden oil lamps.
The old lady asked if it was their first time praying to the four-faced Buddha.
“Yes!” said Mrs Yin as she took out some fruits from the plastic bag that she brought along.
The old lady smiled and introduced herself. “I have lived here for eleven years with two other people.” She continued, with a more serious facial expression, “The four-faced Buddha is kind and powerful. If he grants you your wish, make sure you repay his kindness promptly.”
Mrs Yin knelt on the floor and started to pray. “Dear Buddha, I am living in poverty and misery. My husband is useless and I have three young children to care for. All I ask for is to win a Toto top prize this month. If you grant me my wish, I will come back here and offer you more fruit, nuts, cakes, and a chicken. I will also become a devoted Buddhist and will come visit you every few weeks. Please, please grant me my wish.”
Many days passed. Mrs Yin waited patiently for her turn to win Toto. It was a Thursday, the day when a new set of Toto numbers were to be
drawn. Mrs Yin spent her day as usual, taking the kids to their schools, cooking, and tidying her flat.
During dinner, she turned her head to look at the clock. It was 6:40 p.m. Eagerly, she asked her daughter Min, who was in the study, to hook their computer up to the Internet and check the Toto draw results. Her heart was pounding quickly. She had a feeling something would happen this time.
As Min loaded the pages, something caught Mrs Yin’s eyes. She swiftly referred to her ticket and then back to the screen again. She froze. Her breathing stopped and her heart seemed silent. There, on the screen, she saw it:
Min exclaimed, “You have all the numbers, Mum!”
“Look! Look!” Mrs Yin shouted repeatedly, as others rushed into the study. It was amazing. She had struck Toto for the first time in her life. Moreover, she had won a group one prize, more than S$1.5 million! Her mind ran wild for a moment. “I’ll upgrade our flat, and get a Louis Vuitton bag and shoes for myself, a Toyota car for him, a princess dress for Kim, an iPod for Chong, a laptop for Min, and we’ll take a family holiday to Europe…”
The next day, the whole family went to Singapore Pools to claim the prize money. Mr Yin took a day off from work and the kids took a leave of absence from school. It was their happiest day ever.
Over the next six months, the Yin family sold their flat and upgraded to a condominium in Bedok. They bought their first car, a Toyota Accent, and many other gifts to make themselves happy. Mrs Yin was soaked with joy. She was a millionaire.
However, Mrs Yin had made a huge mistake. She had forgotten to repay the kindness of the four-faced Buddha. It was he who had helped her earned her million and blessed her with her good fortune.
Occasionally, Min would remember and ask her mum if she should go back to the temple to make some offerings. Mrs Yin would ignore the matter and brush her daughter’s questions aside, saying, “We have so much to do. No time for that now. We will see about it next month.”
Then, the seventh month after she won Toto, Mrs Yin happened to drive past the temple that housed the four-faced Buddha. She was on her way to pick up Min. There was a heavy traffic jam and her car temporarily stopped right in front of the temple’s entrance. She was busy talking on her new Nokia phone when she saw the old lady from the temple. The old lady stared at Mrs Yin and appeared to be shouting angrily at her.
Mrs Yin could not really hear what the old lady said, although she thought she heard the word, “Die.” Her car was simply too far away and the window was wound up. She could, however, sense hostility from the old lady. She suddenly recalled what the old lady had said in the temple: “…Make sure you repay his kindness promptly.”
Just then, the traffic cleared and Mrs Yin sped away. She picked Min up from school and headed home. She had decided to take the ECP highway because she loved to see its luxury condominiums along the way. She hoped she would be able to upgrade to one of them soon.
As she daydreamed while driving her car, a burst of golden light shone on her face. Suddenly, the car in front of her braked abruptly. Speeding at 110 kilometers an hour, Mrs Yin simply could not stop her car in time. Her car smashed into the one in front of her with such force that the airbag was activated.
Mrs Yin lost consciousness.
When she woke up, she was lying on a hospital. Her husband and two youngest children were beside her. “Where’s Min?” she asked, looking around for her eldest daughter. Mr Yin broke down spontaneously. Min had died in the car accident.
Over the next few days, the Yin family grieved over the loss of one of their dearest members. Then, on the last day of the wake, Mr Yin received news that he had been retrenched at work. The company said restructuring had made Mr Yin’s job redundant.
That same night, Mrs Yin, still grieving her daughter, had a nightmare. She saw the old lady again. This time she was standing beside the four-faced Buddha. Through the voice of the old lady, the four-faced Buddha reprimanded Mrs Yin for not showing gratitude for his kindness. He warned that more retribution would come if she did not change: she, the other kids, and her husband would all suffer a similar fate.
Mrs Yin woke up from her nightmare in a cold sweat. She put her hands together and started praying. She murmured that she had learned her lessons, and she hoped nothing else would happen to her family.
The next day, after the funeral ended, Mrs Yin went to the Buddha’s temple. Her husband and kids accompanied her. They brought fruit, nuts, cakes, and a chicken, just as she had originally promised. They made their offerings to the golden four-faced Buddha and prayed for good health.
Our mutual friend told me Mrs Yin now passionately pursues her Buddhist studies at a Buddhist college in Singapore. Her spiritual encounter has made her stronger and more devoted to Buddhism. She now realizes the importance of family and knows her rightful place in the universe. She has to be a good mother to her kids and a lovely wife to her husband. She has learned to be humble and grateful for what she has. She has stopped playing Toto or any other lottery.
Chapter 4: Trapped in a Lift Full of Ghosts
In 2010, many Singaporeans eagerly awaited the opening of casinos in two new resorts: the Resort World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. In this story, the living find that they are not the only ones hoping for a chance to gamble in Singapore’s first casinos. The dead are just as keen!
Mr Ang and his family were busy packing their bags. They had booked rooms in one of Singapore’s newest hotels on Sentosa. Mr Ang had managed to secure a room on the opening day through a family member, who happened to work for the new hotel. Finally, after months of waiting, the hotel was ready to accept its first group of guests.
The family of four was excited about the stay and looked forward to a great weekend in Sentosa. Mr Ang and his family checked into their hotel room, which had a real Chinese contemporary feeling, as early as they could. The two boys were the first to sprint into the room. Within seconds, they were jumping up and down on the fresh new beds. It was a fun day for the Angs and they had a good time.
That night, the Angs had a sumptuous dinner in one of the hotel restaurants and then decided to return to their beautiful hotel room.
In the nice new hotel lobby, Mr Ang pressed the button for the lift. It was only 9:00 p.m. and, surprisingly, no one was in the lift lobby except for the four of them. It took a while before the lift came and the door opened. A few guests stepped out and the Angs gave way. The Angs chatted away as they entered the lift.
“Even the lift is so pretty,” said one of the boys. Mr Ang smiled and examined the lift carefully.
Mrs Ang was pleased. “It was money well spent!” she said.
Suddenly, the lights in the lift blinked and the lift stopped.
“Oh, no!” said Mr Ang after a pause. Moments later, he pushed a button on the intercom to ask for help. The family waited for a minute or two but no one answered the intercom. Mrs Ang tried the button again. Still, there was no reply.
Seconds later, the lights in the lift went off completely. They were left in total darkness. Mrs Ang held on to her boys tightly in the dark. She could not see their faces but she could feel them shiver and hear them breathe heavily.
“Mummy, I’m scared,” screamed one of the boys. This was the first time they had ever been stuck in a lift.
Mr Ang tried to comfort everyone. “Don’t worry, someone will come and help us.”
“It’s no big deal, boys,” said Mrs Ang. She joked, “I was always stuck in the lifts when I was little, like you. Very unlucky all the time, you know!”
“Wait! I can hear some voices,” Ang said with relief. He thought help had arrived and tried to move the family away from the door.
The Angs paused and waited. They could hear laughter coming from door.
“Why are they laughing?” asked one boy.
Mrs Ang was annoyed and puzzled but called out, “Hey, someone please help us. We are trapped in the lift!”
The voices grew louder. Mr Ang could sense that help was approaching,
so the Angs waited and waited.
“Not a bad hotel! But too many people today.” said one voice.
“Only the first day, lah!” answered another.
A few others laughed.
The Angs could hear the voices clearly. “Here!” Mr Ang shouted. “We are here. Trapped!”
More voices began to surround the lift. They were all voices of middle-aged men. The Angs could hear the voices coming from the walls and ceiling. Some even came from the floor, where they were standing.
“What’s happening?” whispered Mrs Ang to her husband. She began to feel that something was not right there. She grabbed her sons and quickly pulled them close to her.
Mr Ang held his wife’s hand and stood very still. He was frightened by the voices that were surrounding him. He could barely hear his wife talking to him.
One voice shouted, “When can we start?”
Another replied, “Not so soon, lah! I think they only opened the hotels. The casino will be some time later.”
“What! My fingers are itching,” another voice said. “No fun here! Let’s go!”
Just then, the lights in the lift came back instantly and it began to move again.
When the lights came on, Mr Ang turned to look at his family. His sons were silent, their eyes were tightly shut, and their lips were pale. They were hugging their mother tightly. He could see his wife chanting. She was staring at the ceiling and appeared to be in shock.
Mr Ang gathered them up as quickly as he could when the lift door opened, and they made a dash for it. It was an extremely frightening experience for them, so they packed their bags and checked out immediately. On their way back to the reception, they avoided the lift and took the stairs. Their trip would be the first and the last time they ever set foot in the hotel.
